


Persuasion

by AngelofDarkness1605



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-24
Updated: 2015-06-24
Packaged: 2018-04-06 00:52:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4201608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelofDarkness1605/pseuds/AngelofDarkness1605
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rumplestiltskin is reluctant to kiss Belle once her memories are restored after her time as Lacey. Belle is very insistent on changing his mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Persuasion

"I had a wonderful time tonight."

Belle smiles at the man in front of her, hoping that he'll know that his company delighted her more than the delicious meal and lovely movie they enjoyed together in the privacy of his home.

"So did I," Rumplestiltskin says, letting go of her hand when they reach the apartment above the library, where she resumed living when she regained her memories of her true self rather than the personality of Lacey.

"It doesn't have to be over yet," she says quietly, gesturing at the door behind her. "You don't have to leave."

Having to ask him like this to stay for at least a little while longer seems just as ridiculous to her as his insistence for her not to move back in with him for the time being, but it has turned out that the reconfirmation of their love for one another isn't enough to mend their relationship.

Much to Belle's frustration, Rumplestiltskin has been holding back when he is with her ever since her memories returned. The reason for his restraint is unknown to her, just like she can't think of a way to make an end to his reluctance to move their relationship forward, to share more than rare, delicate kisses of trembling lips against cheeks.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Belle."

His words are belied by the look of intense longing on his face, but he steps back when she moves to close the distance between them.

"Rumple..."

"I... I only want the best for you."

"Why are you saying that?"

"What you're asking... it's not what you deserve. You should have so much more. More than I can give you."

"This isn't about 'deserving', Rumple. We have each other... we have True Love. What more could I possibly want?"

"True Love is not always a good thing," he says, looking everywhere but at her, the pain in his voice audible. "There can be too much difference between two persons. One of them can be too good for the other."

"We talked about this," Belle says, panic welling up inside of her at his words. "I want  _you."_

"Belle, we..."

"Is it because people are talking? Because of what they say about us?"

She says the first thing that springs to mind, grasping for anything that might explain this. The suggestion isn't far-fetched though; the vicious, ever continuing rumors about her and her True Love are often in her thoughts, if only because people keep staring and whispering, or even pointing at them. It's as if it's truly impossible for so many to see that the love between Rumplestiltskin and her is sincere.

"It's not that, sweetheart. It's not them. I don't care what they think and say. But you are young and  _innocent_ , and I'm..."

"You believe it too," she gasps, staring at him in horror as she refers to the not quite subtle talks of the wicked,  _old_  man and the young beauty.

"I don't want to disgust you," he replies, not quite answering her question but telling her all she needs to know.

"You don't," she breathes, not needing to see his lowered gaze to sense the tears he rapidly blinks away. "Believe me Rumple, you don't."

Uncertainty, fear almost, is almost radiating off him, just as much as the love and admiration that is always there whenever he looks at her. Although they have spent more time together in the past few weeks than they ever did in the Dark Castle, his doubt is yet stronger than it was before she lost her memories at the town line.

"That's... it's more than I could possibly ask for. You don't have to prove anything to me. I don't want you to be... unwilling."

"Unwilling?!"

She repeats the word in disbelief, the mere notion that she wouldn't welcome any of his touches thoroughly alarming her. Only because of the by now terrified expression on his face, it dawns on her what he is referring to. After all, Belle  _remembers_ , not only what happened before her memories were taken from her, but also what happened afterwards.

Indeed, there was a time when she didn't want his touches, that his mere presence frightened her and his kiss left her  _screaming._

They have talked about it, extensively, but those wounds are far from healed. She knew better than to expect that either of them would be able to let go of it completely, but she didn't have a clue that her unintentional reaction still upsets him so very much.

Seeing Rumplestiltskin like this, she wonders whether her fear and  _loathing_  is exactly what he expects each time he kisses her now, that her involuntary reaction frightened him to the extent that he is afraid to kiss her in case he might evoke a similar response.

"I'll never put you through that again, I promise. If I could undo it... but this is the best I can do. Goodnight, Belle."

He casts a pleading glance at her before turning around, everything about him betraying that he intends to get away from her because he thinks that he might do something that he'll regret, adding to the ever growing pile of moments of which he wishes he could change them.

Belle is having none of it.

"Rumple, wait!"

He goes still and he remains with his back towards her for several seconds before turning around, wearily facing her once more.

It hurts so very much to see him like this, with so little hope for both himself and their relationship. But she's determined to prove him wrong, to show him that they can be happy... not just for a while, but for the rest of their lives.

"Won't you at least kiss me goodnight?"

It has become a habit of his in recent weeks to kiss her on the cheek – and nowhere but there – after each of their ever overly tentative dates. How she longs for him to kiss her,  _anywhere_ , and not withdraw after a too short second.

If only she could make clear to him for once and for all that she wants his lips and his tongue against her skin, again and again... Really, she craves all of him, if only he would let her show him.

"Of course I would," he says quietly.

He slowly steps towards her, his limp seemingly more pronounced than ever before as he returns to her. His expression is so tender and afraid that she almost feels guilty for wanting him to be more intimate with her.

He reaches for her, the most careful and tender of fingertips brushing against her cheek, barely touching her at all. Her eyes flutter closed, her breathing quickening at the so very light yet utterly captivating touch. He usually doesn't allow them even this sort of contact and she savors it as long as it lasts, even while wishing that it could always be this way, that they could touch and explore whenever they feel like it.

"I love you, Belle."

The words are as much a promise as a warning when he replaces his fingertips with his mouth, pressing his lips ever so lightly against her cheek. He lingers for several breathless seconds, the chaste kiss longer than usual and still so very, very short.

When he withdraws, the longing in his eyes mirrors her own. He too wants more, as much as she is willing to give him, but he is terrified to even ponder the possibility.

Belle sighs deeply, wondering if there is truly no hope for them. Even when they are granted a few quiet, peaceful weeks to let them get closer to one another after all, their own emotions are keeping them apart.

"Will you call me next week?"

His question leaves Belle with only more sadness. They agreed to continue taking things between them slowly after she regained her memories, but only he insisted that she would only contact him and that he wouldn't approach her on his own accord. No matter how much she appreciates that he is determined to give her space, she needs so much more than their infrequent albeit regular dates.

"Of course," she replies, tempted to tell him that she'd call him tonight, as soon as he arrives home, if only he would pick up the phone when he recognizes her number.

"Goodnight, sweetheart," he says, casting one last, longing glance at her before turning around once more.

Belle's heart breaks a little more at the sight of it. He loves her and she loves him, both of them know that. Yet, he is genuinely afraid to kiss her, or to get close to her in any other way. She understands his fear of hurting or scaring again, appreciates his attempts to be open with her and not pressure her into anything. But really, it can't go on like this...  _they_ can't.

While she watches him walk away, back to his car, she can't take their lack of nearness and intimacy any longer. Enough is enough. It's simply unbearable that he still thinks that she won't welcome his touches.

If Belle can't persuade him of her longing with words, she will have to show him her desire otherwise.

"Rumplestiltskin!"

She rushes after him, inwardly cursing her gorgeous if very impractical heels. She luckily catches up with him quickly, his limp preventing him from reaching his car quickly.

"What..."

Before he can say more, she grabs the lapels of his overcoat and quite literally drags him towards her apartment.

"You're coming inside with me, right now."

"What are you doing?!" he asks, more bewildered than anything else. Her explanation clearly hasn't satisfied him.

"I'll show you 'unwilling'."

His pace has significantly quickened when he follows her, relying more on her than his cane, but it's not going fast enough for her liking. She has to have him right where she wants him before he can protest - preferably even before he realizes what exactly she has in mind.

She inwardly groans when they reach the stairs which lead up to her apartment, aware that they'll slow them down only more. Making a quick decision, she yanks briefly at his lapels to remind him to follow her, before rushing up herself and reaching for the keys in her pocket.

Rumplestiltskin has caught up with her by the time she has unlocked the door, too baffled – too hopeful – for anything but blind compliance. This is not the time however to appreciate the influence she appears to have on the most powerful man in town and all the realms known in their homeland.

She ushers him inside, quickly taking off her coat when she guides him into her living room. Only when he lingers, not to object but to take a curious look around, it dawns on her that he has never actually been inside the place where she has been living for several months now.

It makes her only more determined to continue with her plan, to make this the last time that he is reluctant to touch her and be in her personal space, in every sense of the word.

Taking advantage of his distraction when he glances at the interior of her home, Belle shrugs his overcoat off him. He becomes aware of at least some of her plan when she goes to work on the buttons of his suit jacket, but she pats his objecting hands out of her way.

Throwing the jacket over the coat that is already covering a chair behind her, she takes the hand of her True Love. She leads him to her favorite seat, a large armchair near the window. Since it's illuminated by moonlight, she doesn't bother switching on the actual lights.

When Rumplestiltskin is in front of the seat, his discomfort and confusion written on his face, she gives him a gentle push. It causes him to tumble backwards into the chair, his cane clattering to the floor beneath it.

He stares at her from his new position, his eyes wide and uncertain as he clings to the arm rests, holding them so tightly that his knuckles turn white. Yet, he makes no attempt to move, to make an end to what she has started despite having no idea of her intentions.

Belle regards him from her vantage point, for once looking down on him. The moonlight softens the lines on his face, making his anxiety less obvious. Still, there is no denying the way his eyes dart over her when the silence lengthens and he still has no clue what she has in mind.

Satisfied that he won't move for the time being, she kicks off her heels and watches Rumplestiltskin as his eyes follow her feet as she puts them on the fluffy carpet. He looks equally shocked and intrigued, both of those reactions increase tenfold when she casually pulls her modest skirt several inches upwards.

Belle has no experience with the art of seduction, but she doesn't need to make any effort whatsoever in order to have him spellbound. Indeed, it only dawns on her that her attempt at moving her legs more easily has resulted in exposing quite a bit of her thighs to him when Rumplestiltskin's breath grows heavy.

She is panting too when she approaches him, but not from anxiety or discomfort. Just the way he looks at her,  _stares_ , all wide-eyed and uneasy yet fascinated and very much interested, is doing the most lovely things to her.

There is no hesitation when she is right in front of him and clambers onto the chair, onto  _him_ , one leg on either side of his. This brings their faces only inches away from one another, their rapid breath mingling between them.

"Sweetheart..."

She settles herself down onto him, despite her eagerness very careful not to burden his bad leg. He groans quietly, a sound that couldn't be more unlike pain, adding to the warmth pooling inside of her.

He seems to be utterly torn, that single term of endearment alone including both intense longing and complete concern, such  _torment._ She wonders how he can bear it, why he isn't either throwing himself at her of throwing her off him.

Reaching for him with both hands, she brushes the strands of his hair away which have fallen over his face, probably not accidentally, and cradles his cheeks in her hands. She just watches him for a while, taking in the smallest details of his expression.

It's probably the first time that she sees him flustered, a red tinge on his cheeks and a hint of perspiration on his brow, and rarely Belle has seen something more alluring. His mouth is slightly open, his breath heavy and irregular, his eyes frantically searching her face.

"I may be innocent, but I know what I want... and that you want it too."

If it weren't for the situation, it could have been almost comical to watch a myriad of emotions flicker over his face in a matter of mere seconds. She had heard it said that Mr. Gold never reveals what he is truly thinking, but her Rumple is like an open book to her and as far from stoic as he could possibly be.

There is shock and surprise written all over his face, and so many other things, but none of them matter at that moment, for his desire for her is more pronounced than anything else. He glances down at her mouth for the briefest of moments and licks his lips in reaction. It gives her the last confirmation that this is the right thing to do.

"I love you, Rumplestiltskin," she whispers, right before closing the last distance between them.

He lets out a whimper when her lips brush against his. She doesn't know whether it's caused by her expressed love or by her kiss, or both, but it hardly matters either. And even if it would have, she wouldn't have been able to properly think about it anyway. After all, they are kissing, finally and actually  _kissing_ , and nothing has ever felt better.

Just having their lips pressed lightly together like this, their noses bumping quite awkwardly, is leaving her with ragged breath and a frantically beating heart. But there is no nervousness or discomfort, despite his apparent lack of reaction and the fact that, even  _before_ , they haven't actually done this all that much.

Undeterred by his lack of reaction and in fact quite encouraged by the fact that he doesn't remove her from him, Belle presses her mouth more firmly against him. Now  _that_ gets a reaction out of him, the quiet groan that she evokes from him telling her all she needs to know.

His hands come to rest on her waist, ever so lightly, seconds after she has carefully placed hers on his shoulder. She smiles against his lips, seeing what is going on. It seems that her ever concerned Rumplestiltskin won't do anything until she has done something similar with him. Well, she has no problems with that.

The few times that their kiss was more than the lightest brush of lips, her True Love was the one to initiate it, always in an emotional moment of slipping control that had her not paying nearly as much attention to his technique as she in retrospect wished she had. So Belle may know exactly what she wants, but she isn't quite certain how she can actually get him as flustered as she'd like him to be.

That too doesn't turn out to be much of a problem. He is still against her, awaiting her next move, thus giving her the possibility to basically do whatever she wants. Knowing that he will never mock her and that he is more likely than not to end up liking whatever she is going to do anyway, Belle just gives it a try.

She angles her head a little so their noses aren't pressed against one another any longer, and experimentally takes his lower lip between her own. She may have thought that he was still before, but he goes completely motionless when she nibbles on it ever so lightly.

Knowing better than to be discouraged by his apparent lack of reaction, Belle continues her attempt to get a more spontaneous reaction out of him, to let him lose just a little bit of control.

Her hands find their way from his shoulders to his hair, carding through his silky tresses. Immediately, he twines one of his hand in her long curls, the other remaining on her waist where it caresses her ever so lightly.

Taking that as a sign that this is indeed going exactly as she hoped, she tugs carefully at his lower lip, slightly parting it from its upper twin. She more feels than hears his groan as it wells up from somewhere deep inside of him and she smiles against his lips at the undeniable evidence of his approval.

His lashes flutter against her cheek as he tightens his hold on her, not ceasing to stroke her hair ever so tenderly. Intuitively, her questioning tongue darts out to meet his lips, finding them still a little open. He groans at the increased contact, urging her to continue.

There have been several occasions in which their mouths met for more than a fleeting moment, but it has never been quite like this, never more than a touch of lips against lips. Belle relishes the novelty of it, the intimacy of their current nearness. New and unfamiliar as this might be to her, there's nothing difficult or awkward about moving her tongue against his, exploring him in a way she has never done before.

Eyes tightly shut, she licks along the line of his lower lip, breathing him in. He is panting, letting out increasingly less quiet noises of a kind she has never heard before. It's only making her more eager to take this to wherever it's leading them.

Very much aware that she has her True Love exactly how she wants him, she cradles his face in her hands, wanting to be closer to him even as she is kissing him. At the current hour, there is light stubble on his cheeks and she savors the unusual roughness beneath her palms.

Her confidence growing exponentially, Belle gives in to the urge to bite gently on his lower lip, moaning at the growl of appreciation which she draws from him, at the feeling of his mouth so very close to her own.

He pulls her nearer to him with a hint of a force he has never used with her before, his ever tender fingers belying his unusually strong hold on her. The shared air hot and moist between them, there is no time to appreciate that he is finally doing exactly what both of them have been craving for so long. His lips for once insistent against hers, she can't think of anything but their kiss even if she had wanted to.

He murmurs her name against her mouth, along with a declaration of love, those three words yet more meaningful now that he's acting upon them after all.

Pressing her mouth to his with equal vigor, Belle grasps onto his hair with one hand, fully intending to never let go again. She traces her other hand down his side, frustrated when she encounters nothing but thick fabric and almost none of the wiry body she has dreamed of.

Instead of taking at least a single layer off, Rumplestiltskin responds to her sound of disappointment by parting his lips more fully and angling his lips just so. Belle lets out a whimper that's desperate in a whole different way when her tongue slips into his mouth for the very first time.

Her True Love may whisper something along the lines of "slowly", but there's no stopping her when she gets her first taste of him. There's warmth and wetness and  _him_  and she can't help herself, can't  _think._ She just needs to go on exactly like this in order to sate the desire that's blossoming inside of her, consuming her now that it's finally been answered.

For once, the exact same thing appears to go for him. Making yet more of those delicious little noises, he meets her tongue with his own, exploring and  _claiming._ She is more than happy to give in to this exquisite madness, to blindly surrender to whatever is overtaking them. It's magic, she is certain of that, but it couldn't differ more from the sorts that he usually practices.

There is no more savoring their intimacy now that it has finally presented itself, no lingering on the fact that their mouths are pressed tightly together, their tongues clumsy and so very, very eager. All she wants is to experience and  _feel_ , right here and now.

For once, he isn't holding back as he clings to her, groaning into her mouth. She won't be able to make up for the opportunities that they have missed, for all the times they didn't do something exactly like this, but that won't mean she won't try.

Moving herself as tightly against him as she can, she gasps with delight and surprise alike at the sensations that shoot through her when their chests are pressed against one another. The heat inside of her spreads only further when he makes a sound unlike any she heard so far and brings his hands to her hips in a deliciously possessive manner, urging her to stay as close to him as she currently is.

There's something hardening between them and her eyes burst open in wonder as it dawns on her what's happening. She has read about it, of course she has, but none of the descriptions could have done justice to the reality of feeling the for once undeniable evidence of his arousal.

Belle may not have believed it if she hadn't seen it for herself, but now it's very obvious indeed that there isn't a single sign that he wants to stop this – quite the opposite. After all, his eyes are still tightly closed, an almost pained look of unfamiliar enjoyment and concentration on his face while he encourages her to move against him.

Beyond grateful that Rumplestiltskin is comfortable enough to let her experience for herself just how much he desires her, she shifts a little to accommodate him more comfortably between them.

He throws back his head when she rubs herself against him without quite meaning to in the process, grunting her name. His guiding hands spurring her on as much as the building heat within her does, Belle grinds herself against him. This time, the movement is very much purposeful, and so is the way she nibbles at his exposed throat right in front of her.

She may not have actually experienced anything like this before, but the books she's read leave no doubt where this is heading. Even without this theoretical knowledge, the desire that's rushing through her leaves no doubt about the potential effect of the friction between their bodies.

It would be so very easy to get caught up in the moment, to pursue these most unexpected of developments to their natural conclusion. No one is stopping them after all and for once even he doesn't object in any way, his eyes still tightly shut as his body moves against hers.

Much as she has longed for this,  _dreamed_ of this, she isn't convinced that this is the right thing to do at this very moment. Rumplestiltskin has been so very reluctant to do anything like this so far, going great lengths to avoid situations like these in the first place.

Although he's finally exactly as responsive and enthusiastic as Belle has wanted him to be for such a long time, she can't shake the feeling that he clings to her like a man possessed, that something inside of him – only a long denied, carnal part, in all likelihood - has been overtaken, rather than that all of him has been persuaded.

As he pants her name and caresses her sides through her clothing, not making the slightest attempt to go any further than that as long as she doesn't suggest so herself, Belle is convinced that he will regret losing control like this as soon as they have found the pleasure that's growing between them.

Any doubt that may have lingered vanishes when she realizes that she doesn't want him after all if it means that she can only have him when his desire is for once stronger than he is himself, when he will regret this almost immediately afterwards.

That's why Belle gently withdraws after a few more glorious seconds of breathless, quivering fire, resting her forehead against his.

Rumplestiltskin is panting beneath her, his grip on her waist slightly tightening. He makes no attempt to continue their kiss though, his thumbs caressing her tenderly and his forehead resting against hers.

"Thank you, sweetheart," he breathes, the words warm between them.

She smiles a little, relieved but not surprised at all that he understands and appreciates her actions – or perhaps, rather the lack thereof.

"There'll be time for this," she says quietly, recalling what he told her when they were reunited in this world. "There'll be time for everything."

"Yes," he replies, "there will be."

He has said this before, but it feels different now that their embrace is promising rather than desperate, now that they have gotten to know each other so much better, their determination to keep fighting for one another only stronger now that their love has proudly survived obstacles yet more challenging than what they faced in their old world.

Rumplestiltskin sighs deeply, contently, and pulls her more firmly against him, her head coming to rest on his shoulder. She buries her face in the crook of his neck, savoring the warmth and slight dampness of his skin.

"Come to my house tomorrow," he says, his voice wonderfully rough. "We can have dinner together. And afterwards..."

"You'll kiss me like I just kissed you," Belle adds, shivering in anticipation.

"We'll... we'll  _touch_ like we just did," he continues, his fingers ceasing their ministrations at last, as if he fears that the merest touch will make an end to his determination to wait, to  _plan_ , to devise an approach that he is comfortable with.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then," she smiles, distancing herself slightly from him despite her eagerness to remain as close to him as she can possible be,  _forever_.

" _Yes_ ," he says, the hoarse quality of his voice making it not easier in the slightest to respect his wishes to wait just a little while longer to fully give in to their desire for each other.

He gets up as soon as she has moved away far enough for him to do so, collecting his cane as she shows him out.

"Among other things, you want me to kiss you...  _properly_ after our dates, don't you?" he asks, the question in his voice and body language alike.

"I do, yes," she replies, wondering what he's getting at.

"Does this still count as a date?"

"I'd say that it does," she says, her incomprehension gone as soon as he slowly closes the distance between them.

Brushing his fingers along her cheek, Rumplestiltskin leans in to her and questioningly seeks her mouth. She accepts his kiss happily, moaning quietly when his lips open under hers, welcoming her into his mouth once more.

Their tongues brush and explore with none of the urgency of before, their hands caressing and petting lightly. There's a tenderness that brings tears to her eyes, a delight that at least equals that of their previous kiss.

"I love you so much, Belle," he whispers when they slightly break away from each other eventually, wiping her tears away with reverent fingertips.

"And I love you, Rumple. More than I can ever tell you."

His smile, a  _real_ one that leaves her insides fluttering, is exactly the one she has hoped for all along. It's a clear sign of how he has accepted the depth of their relationship and has finally fully embraced his love for her and hers for him.

"I'll see you tomorrow, sweetheart," he says, opening the front door with obvious reluctance.

"I can't wait," she breathes.

She lets go of Rumplestiltskin for now with equal hesitation, but she knows that their meeting the next day will be so much more than a proper date... that she'll  _see_ him in ways she has never done before... in ways she began to fear she never would.

Beaming while he makes his way towards his car, Belle giddily picks up her phone as soon as he has driven out of her sight. Wanting to make the wait for their date the next day more bearable, to spend time with him until then in a somewhat less tempting way, she decides to call her True Love as soon as he is home.


End file.
